Ukrainian Support Project

Refugee Community Alliance: Ukrainian Support Project

With the Russian assault on Ukraine now in its third year, millions of Ukrainians are displaced and seeking refugee and humanitarian assistance. Refugee Community Alliance: Ukrainian Support Project was formed to help meet this urgent need. The group’s mission is to resettle and support a family of Ukrainian refugees to the greater Boston area.

We are excited to announce that our group has now been matched with a refugee family from Ukraine! The Martynenko family will be arriving in Massachusetts in August 2024, and includes a mother, father, high school age daughter, and an elementary age daughter. Incredibly, the Martynenko family has been forced from their home twice. In 2014, the family lost their home when Russia invaded the Donbas region of Ukraine. They moved to Kherson and rebuilt their lives. In February 2022, Russia invaded and occupied several areas of Ukraine, including Kherson. In the following months, the area’s residents suffered aerial bombardment, brutal repression of civilian protest, arbitrary detention of civilians and kidnapping of children. The Martynenkos fled Ukraine and made their way to Romania. With our help, they will resettle in the United States in MA in August 2024. They are currently living in Romania, but they have limited access to refugee services and educational opportunities for their daughters. The Martynenko family is appreciative of any support you can give and is excited to start a new life in the United States!

Our program now has an urgent need to find low-cost housing and raise funds as we prepare to welcome the Martynenkos in August 2024. Under the United States government program, Uniting for Ukraine, we have flexibility in the types of housing options that are adequate for Ukrainian refugees. We can source free or reduced cost housing via the generosity of the community or fundraise to raise the funds for an apartment for the family.

How you can help:

1. Donate to support the Martynenkos

We are fundraising to support the ongoing costs needed to support a quality standard of living for the Martynenko family in the greater Boston area. This includes the cost of rent (depending on housing availability in the community), as well as expenses such as food, clothing, healthcare, transportation to work, etc. This support will be crucial during their first few months in the U.S. as the Martynenko parents expand their English proficiency and seek employment in their field of ecological engineering.

While housing is the largest expense, there is much more that goes into welcoming a family. A new apartment or other living space must be set up with furniture, pots and pans, linens, etc. Families are arriving with very little and need clothing, shoes, school supplies, and much more. We will be collecting donations for these items in summer/fall 2024.

All funds raised will go to support the resettlement of this family in need. The Ukrainian Support Project: Refugee Community Alliance is committed to supporting the Martynenkos until they are self-sufficient, safe and happily resettled within the U.S.

2. Help secure housing

Currently, we are seeking leads for low-cost housing options or anyone that could offer a reduced rent or affordable 2-bedroom apartment for the Martynenko family in 2024 or 2025.

Another option is if you have room in your house and heart to open your home to a family of four, please contact us ASAP. This is actually the most common route for housing taken under the Uniting for Ukraine program. If you are open to this option, the Ukrainian Support Project group would act as a key partner to you and support all ongoing needs associated with re-settlement. If interested, housing options we are seeking include the following:

In-law suites

Furnished basement or furnished attic

Extra bedrooms in your home

**all options must include access to the kitchen and bathroom**

About Us:

With the end of the Ukrainian war still not yet in sight, the United States government created a program called Uniting for Ukraine, which allows for private citizens to financially sponsor Ukrainians to find safety in the U.S. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Migration and Refugee Services has issued an appeal to parishes and other community groups to consider stepping up and serving as “Welcome Circles” to financially support a family and provide for their needs upon arrival. This “Welcome Circle” structure brings together volunteers who are committed to helping support Ukrainians resettle into the U.S. where they can live safely.

Refugee Community Alliance: Ukrainian Support Project was formed in response to this call. The MA-based group is affiliated with Reading POWIR (People Organized to Welcome Immigrants and Refugees). Over the past five years, Reading POWIR supported the successful resettlement of a family of Ethiopian refugees, and is currently supporting two Afghan refugee families who came to the U.S. in late 2021. The Ukrainian Support Project team proudly includes several members of Reading POWIR and we are excited to learn from their past successful resettlement projects

The Ukrainian Support Project also works closely with Catholic Charities, an organization that welcomes and integrates immigrants, refugees and asylees, and helps to organize Welcome Circles and POWIR groups. Once we have a refugee family, Catholic Charities will also provide some services to the refugees through their networks.

We are associated with the Old South United Methodist Church in Reading which serves as the fiduciary for the Ukrainian Support Project. Old South UMC acts as the “financial home” of the project and stores our funds for safekeeping as a certified nonprofit.

The Ukrainian Support Project is a secular, interdenominational group, involving people from multiple local communities of faith. Our members come from several different towns and include people who are passionate about helping others. All are welcome to join us!

Contact Us: Refugee Community Alliance: Ukrainian Support Project

Website: refugeecommunityalliance.com

Fiduciary: Old South United Methodist Church

Follow us on Facebook for real-time updates: https://bit.ly/3Rz2Mgu

Members of Core Welcome Circle: Hilary Kopp-Trismen, Paige Montrone, Kathy Knight-Heath, Frank Andrews, Ellen Terry

Supported by: Catholic Charities, Reading POWIR, Old South United Methodist Church